This invention relates to suppression control of cab signal penalty brake application, and it more particularly pertains to a low cost system of suppression control for switching locomotives and the like handling short trains.
Basic locomotive brake control systems having suppression of cab signal automatic brake applications, known as the "No. 24-RL" and "No. 26-C" systems, are designed for main line locomotive operations and are complicated and expensive. These braking systems are adapted for use with complex suppression control for automatic cab signal braking control for locomotives used on long trains while such switching locomotives that have limited use in cab signal control territory have not been required to have cab signal control equipment.
In view of the possibility of accidents involving switching locomotives that do not have cab signal control, it has been required that more locomotives using No. 26-C and No. 24-RL brake control systems, for example, without cab signal automatic brake control, be modified to add the automatic brake control system and associated suppression control valve apparatus. This suppression control as disclosed for use in the above systems and in the Erson et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,681 and in the Worbois et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,322, is too complicated and expensive for its proposed limited use on switch locomotives that generally operate on trains of 40 or less railway cars.
An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid brake control system for switching locomotives having suppression control of cab signal penalty brake applications that substantially obviates one or more of the limitations and disadvantages of the described prior art systems.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs of suppression controlling automatic cab signal brake apparatus for switching locomotives.
Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawings and in part pointed out as the description of the invention progresses.